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Youthful BY70-1 CubeSat Builders: We’ll be Back!

02/23/2017

As its Amateur Radio FM transponder satellite BY70-1 was poised to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, its developers, China’s Amateur Youth Space Program, said it will be mounting future missions. The 2U BY70-1 CubeSat was built by Beijing Bayi High School students.

“We hope more amateur youth space program will be brought to you in the near future!” the students said in a February 17 statement on the school’s website. BY70-1 was launched on December 28 but ended up in a lower-than-expected 524 × 212 kilometer orbit, which contributed to its brief orbital lifetime. “Satellite BY70-1 has completed all designed missions,” the students’ message said.

They asked for reports, via e-mail, including audio or video clips, from those who were successful in using the satellite or who obtained satellite camera photos. They offered a QSL card in return for those who made a contact or souvenirs for those who copied telemetry or used the onboard camera.